

All this was backgrounded by constant threats from the Prop 22 backers that the companies would leave the state if all else failed. Waves of misleading political mailers and sponsored academic research were used to try and win over voters, while a targeted harassment campaign was launched against a vocal critic. It passed after a company-funded campaign spent well over $200 million (including millions donated to the California GOP) and deployed a record number of lobbyists. Proposition 22 was a ballot initiative that exempted gig companies from reclassifying their workers as employees rather than independent contractors.

In California, the default tip was zero and went up to $1.50, with an option to enter a customized tip amount. Motherboard tested the app in New York and Washington D.C., where the tip option defaulted to 10 and 20 percent respectively. Seamless followed suit, with the exact same fees, prompts, and messages for customers who make deliveries through the Grubhub-owned platform.
